Things are not always what they seem to be
by durararaaa
Summary: There is always a price. For every reward, there is a sacrifice. The greater the reward, the greater the sacrifice should be. However, we must choose when we want make those sacrifices. Depending on the timing you may end up with everything...or with nothing at all. Some dark themes. Harry/Fleur.


**Hey all, so yea…been a while again. This…well, this is a kind of look in the opposite direction than where I usually head to with my stories. I'm not really big on angst but…I caught myself coming up with this earlier today for some reason. **

**Things are not always what they seem to be**

* * *

"Fleur?" A quiet voice whispered making her jump. A split second later her wand was trained on the dark figure in front of her, a faint blue glow already forming on the tip. "Hmm? Not bad…didn't expect you to have that kind of reflexes."

"'Ermione…" She breathed in relief.

"Who were you going to curse anyway?" The younger witch asked, her voice laced with a faint note of amusement. "Surely not your precious Beel Weasley?" She asked with a smirk.

Fleur flinched slightly at the mention of her 'precious Bill Weasley'. "One can never be too careful." She said softly, lowering her wand. Hermione shook her head before moving towards one of the dusty chairs and promptly dropping onto it.

"Merlin…after that woman went on a rampage getting us all to clean Grimmauld Place you'd think she'd know how to keep her own home spotless." A brief smile flickered across her face when she heard her speak of Molly Weasley that way. She was going to speak when Hermione looked up again.

"You're not quite what I expected 'Phlegm'." She said in a neutral tone, eyeing her with a calculating expression. "I'm only speaking to you, I mean _really _speaking to you for the first time since we first met but you aren't exactly true to your 'French snob' act all the time are you?"

She shrugged. "Eet does get a bit boring to keep up all ze time." A faint smirk appeared on the brown haired witch's face. "Would you mind telling me why you wanted me to meet you up 'ere in ze middle of ze night?" She asked, gesturing at the open window from where the moonlight was streaming in.

"Quiet down…do you want to wake that thing up?" Hermione muttered before flicking her wand at the covered enclosure around her which served as a sort of 'den' for the Weasley ghoul. "Actually…" She flicked her wand at the trapdoor leading to the attic too making it shut. "There, now we can speak without any interruptions."

Fleur narrowed her eyes. "What do you want 'Ermione? Get to eet, I don't 'ave ze time to…"

"What?" She snapped, her whole demeanor changing. "Got to prepare yourself for your wedding? If you're so focused on that then please just let me know now. I won't even bother trying."

"What are you…no, I…what I meant to say is get to ze point 'Ermione." She growled. Every mention of the wedding was like a physical blow against her.

"Fine. I need an answer."

"A what?"

"An answer. Answer this question truthfully." Hermione's eyes were boring into hers and she couldn't help but feel a slight shiver run down her back. She couldn't help being intimidated by her. She was very different from the 14 year old girl she'd once been introduced to when she'd first set foot in Hogwarts so long ago.

"Eet depends on ze question."

Hermione seemed to be having an internal debate for a few moments before she finally met her gaze. "Your wedding, Bill…is that what you wanted?"

"I…what?" This was the last question she'd have expected, especially from her.

"I need a straight answer Fleur." Hermione's face seemed to form a hard line. "Do you wish that you never had to go through with marrying Bill Weasley?"

She stared at the girl for a few moments, wondering what had brought this on. She knew that if she gave the answer she wasn't looking for, then that would be the end of this impromptu meeting and conversation.

As for the answer…

"What do you know 'Ermione?" She asked bitterly, leaning back against the wall. "And why are you even asking me zis? My wedding's tomorrow…zere are zings zat you…"

"Oh I know a bit more than you think."

"Suppose I told you zat I wished zings could 'ave gone anozzer way zen…why would my answer matter to you?"

"I assure you it would have meant nothing to me. But it does mean a lot for someone else. Unfortunately for you that someone else happens to be someone I care about a lot." Hermione murmured softly before meeting her gaze, her eyes narrowed. "Mind telling me why you're doing this to Harry?"

At the mention of his name she felt as though something pierced right through her heart. "I…to 'Arry? I don't know what…"

"Dammit Fleur I know alright? I know everything!" Hermione finally snapped. "I know how you two met. I know he spent all his past few summers with you when he was supposed to be with those horrible relatives of his. He loved you. And for some bloody reason he still loves you!" She shook her head in disgust. "Here you are running off and getting engaged to that red headed moron just months after he left to put an end to Voldemort and bring this hell hole of a country to peace."

She felt as though she was receiving one physical blow after another with Hermione's words. They were all making memories surface within her, memories she never wanted to surface, ever. It simply hurt too much, remembering the times with him; the times when she'd actually been _happy_.

A flare of anger ignited within her. Why was Hermione doing this to her? Why was she making her remember these things, as if it wasn't bad enough that she was signing her life away to a life that she never wanted in just a few more hours time…this, this wasn't something she needed right now.

"What 'appened between me and 'Arry is a zing of ze past." She muttered, even though her heart was screaming in protest. The phrase 'He still loves you' was stuck to her mind.

What she said seemed to anger Hermione even more. For a moment she thought she would curse her from the way she got up abruptly, but she seemed to collect herself before letting out a long, low sigh.

"You know…" Hermione began with a sigh. "I would have killed you if you said that in front of him. Be glad that didn't happen." Somehow, she knew she wasn't joking. "Well, I got nothing more to say. Congratulations, hope you have a smashing life with the Weasleys." The sarcasm was evident in her voice. "Good night, I won't keep you. Big day ahead of you and all that."

Fleur was still fighting with the torrent of emotions that were warring within her. She wanted to speak, to ask whether Harry really did…but it wouldn't matter. Her future was set in stone no matter how much she wished otherwise.

Hermione was already moving towards the trapdoor when she finally gave in and asked the question she knew would destroy her completely, no matter what the answer was.

"You said 'Arry still loves me." She whispered. "Is zat true?" Hermione turned back, her expression softening when their eyes met. She couldn't help it as she felt a lone tear trickle down her face. The dam was breaking, she'd held out for so long…forcing herself not to think about him. But now she had nothing left to lose.

"He does." Hermione said softly.

"No…no, 'e can't." Her voice was growing louder with each word. "You're lying!"

"Why would I? What reason do I have to come over here and tell you all this?"

"'E said 'e didn't want to be wiz me. 'E rejected me." Her voice shook. "Why would 'e do zat if…"

"Because it's him!" Hermione groaned. "It's Harry! Have you ever seen him do anything other than worry about the people closest to him? Can you blame him? Almost everyone he cared about died. Do you think he could live with himself if something happened to you?"

"I was out of 'arms way. 'E knew zat. No one knew about us…not you, not ze Weasleys, no one! I tried to make 'im see zat and I…"

"Tried to bond with him?" Hermione asked slowly. "Yes, he told me about that night."

"I don't expect you to understand." She said shakily as she slid down to the floor.

The memory of his rejection was still fresh in her mind. The way his face contorted into a look of disgust when she'd told him what she wanted to do. His exact words were 'why would I want to be bonded for life to a Veela'. He had completely and utterly insulted her very being, her heritage. "Eet almost killed me 'Ermione. To face zat kind of a rejection from someone we choose to love, I can't even begin to explain 'ow much eet 'urts."

She was surprised when she felt the floorboards creak as Hermione kneeled down in front her before pulling her into a warm hug.

It was then that she gave in, letting everything out as she felt cried into the younger witch's shoulder. The memories of her times with Harry, the times when she'd been able to smile…were all not going to be anything more than just that; memories. She was getting married to a man she didn't love; the man she did never wanted her.

"You're right, I can't understand how it would feel to someone like you." Hermione murmured softly in her ear. "But there is so much more that you didn't know Fleur. Harry…" Her voice shook forcing Fleur to slowly draw away from her embrace. The way Hermione said his name gave her a bad feeling.

"He went through a lot more than you did. Do you know how many nights after we left to search for Horcruxes I had to stop him from trying to kill himself?"

"W-what?" she couldn't believe it. Harry…he wouldn't, he was one of the strongest people she knew.

"It's the reason why Ron left us actually." Hermione said with a sad smile. "Harry…he almost succeeded a couple of times. There were times when I thought he'd die from some of the stupid things he did. We had to take him to a muggle hospital to stop him from dying from blood loss after he slit his wrists when no one was looking." A hand flew up to her mouth in horror.

"I had to keep him with me at all times. I held him during the nights and never let him out of my sight. Ron took this the wrong way; he thought I was cheating on him." Hermione laughed humorlessly before looking up at her. "I won't lie; I love Harry...but the way I care about him is different, I see him more as a brother I never had."

She nodded. She knew how close Hermione was to him. Back then she'd been jealous of their relationship, but she'd slowly begun to understand the difference.

"Ron couldn't take it anymore. He called Harry a coward…" She felt her disgust for the red haired prick rise. "…and me a cheap slut and left."

"It was only after Ron left that I found out why. It wasn't just what Harry did to you that made him this way Fleur…although that was probably what was taking his will to live away. He told me everything about you two. He knew how much he'd hurt you with his rejection, he was the one who told me about Veela…what love means to them. He didn't want to live with the memory of the look on your face the day he rejected you."

"Zen why…why would 'e do all zat." She asked, tears threatening to spill out again. "My feelings for 'im never changed. If 'e really did care about me as much as you say 'e did zen…"

Hermione sighed before moving so that she was sitting cross legged in front of her. "The way a Veela bonds, you tie your life to his right? A permanent bond." She nodded. "Veela cannot live without their bond mate if something happens to him."

"Yes but…" She had already considered it, she would have willingly given her life away to be with him if something had happened to him. It was in their nature, nothing was more important to her kind than their mate. "'E lived didn't 'e? I wanted to fight wiz 'im. I wanted to fight for us and no matter what ze outcome was I would 'ave stood by 'im."

Hermione rubbed her eyes before giving her a wan smile. "He wasn't supposed to live."

"I-what?" She felt as though a weight had dropped in her chest.

"Harry was not supposed to live. The Horcruxes…the remaining links to Voldemort's life, the ones we set out to destroy? Do you know what the last Horcrux was?"

It only took a few seconds for her to realize what she was getting at. "No…" she whispered. "Ze last one was 'Arry?"

"Yes. He found out in the summer after our 6th year ended…just a few days before he broke up with you." Hermione said sadly. "I wish I never helped him develop his Occlumency, so many things could have been different if he just didn't know. He found the thing living inside of him, leeching off his magic. It was then it all made sense, the reason why he was given the task of venturing out in search of dangerous dark artifacts to aid in the destruction of Voldemort. He was nothing more than Albus Dumbledore's greatest weapon." She laughed bitterly.

"After all it makes the most sense logically doesn't it? Why risk people's lives and send them into danger when you already have a pawn that's fated to die? Harry's death wouldn't have been a triumph for Voldemort, it would have just been one less Horcrux…one less piece of Voldemort's soul to worry about." She sighed, looked up at her. "Now do you understand why he pushed you away the way he did? Would you have let him go if you knew?"

She felt as though her chest cleaved in two. A choked sob escaped her as she everything dawned on her. Now she was remembering everything the way they should be. The night when he'd roughly rejected her, those Emerald green eyes held so much pain. She had been too blinded by her own grief to see it, to see how much he was going through. How could she have even tried to judge him; everything he did was for her benefit. He'd thrown his life away, his reasons for living, all of it for her.

"Harry changed after that. I felt like I didn't even know him anymore. His eyes are no longer the same…he never smiled, he was cold. He shut everything that made him human off so that he could cause as much damage as possible to the man who ruined his life before it was his time to go. Well…you know the rest, we took down the rest of the Horcruxes before coming for the one in Hogwarts before the battle began. When Voldemort finally called a cease fire and gave the ultimatum, he knew it was time."

"Before he left he only wanted one last thing." She forced herself to look up. "He wanted to see you one last time. You were tending to the injured in the Great Hall…just catching one final glimpse of you seemed to put him at peace. After that he walked away, towards his death."

She could vaguely remember Hermione's grief stricken face as she was sitting on one of the benches away from everyone with a boy called Neville who was holding on to her.

"But things didn't go as planned, the part of Voldemort that was inside Harry died when Voldemort fired the curse at him. Well…you know everything that happened after that."

"Why…" Her mouth was dry, she could feel renewed tears cascading down her face. She could remember turning back towards the doors at one point, feeling as if someone was watching her when she'd been trying to calm a little girl from crying. "Why didn't 'e talk to me. I wanted to meet 'im, I wanted to see 'im but 'e disappeared after ze battle."

"Do you really think he could bring himself to talk to you?" Hermione asked sadly. "We found out that you were engaged to Bill while we were hiding out over at Fred and George's place in Diagon Alley. Harry never said anything to either of us after that. I only know the nights I spent with him crying into my chest while I tried to get him to sleep."

Fleur bit back a moan of pain as she felt as though white hot daggers were being plunged into her chest. This was all just wrong, why was it that everything just went so wrong? So many things could have been different if only she'd just been a bit more persuasive that night and forced him to say _why _he didn't want to be with her.

"Where…where is 'e now?" She asked quietly, wiping her eyes.

"I've been taking care of him with an old friend of mine ever since the battle. He…he's been getting by but he's not the same. It's just...he doesn't have anything left to live for Fleur." Hermione murmured softly. "I'm scared for him. He's fragile, it's like he's just waiting for something to happen to him." She sighed before looking up at her. "It's why I came to you. As much as I don't like it, you're perhaps the only one that can help him. So just tell me now, do you still feel for him like you did? Would you wish to go back to how things were?"

"I would in a 'eartbeat 'Ermione…but…" She closed her eyes. "I'm afraid eet's not as easy." Hermione cocked her head questioningly. "After ze night 'Arry...well, my fazzer was furious. Both my parents were, zey 'ad come to love 'Arry like zere own son. But after 'e rejected me zey wanted to whatever eet took to make me move on. Even if eet meant I was forced to."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "You mean…"

"Marriage contract. My fazzer zought Beel would be a good suitor because 'e was close to 'is fazzer." She sighed softly. "I…at ze time 'Arry's rejection was still fresh on my mind and I admit zat didn't protest so much. I did anyzing I could to move past 'im, to forget 'im. I zought if I could learn to fall in love wiz Beel I would forget 'Arry." She shook her head.

"Eet was foolish of me, but I never zought zere could be a possibility of going back to ze way zings were. Beel…'e is a good man. I know 'e cares for me and 'e as never pressured me for anyzing and I admire 'im for zat. But…I could never learn to love 'im ze way I did 'Arry…ze way I still do." Silence fell at her words and for a few long moments neither of them spoke.

"I guess I have an answer then." Hermione said with a small smile. She looked up at her before returning it briefly.

"What would you 'ave done if my answers were any different?"

"Honestly? I don't know. You are the reason why I may lose my brother…I wanted to know if you were truly worth it." She shrugged. "The rest is up to you Fleur. I don't care what you do. I just felt that the least I could do for Harry was to make sure that you didn't have the wrong idea about him."

Fleur sighed softly. "I didn't really need zat. Deep down I knew zat 'e pushed me away for my own good…I just let my 'eart take over."

"Harry never blamed you…that's one more thing you need to know." Hermione muttered quietly as she got her feet, dusting herself. "No matter what you decide, I won't hold it against you." She sighed. "A marriage contract eh? Why can't things ever be simple when it comes to him…"

And then she left, leaving her alone in the attic while she watched the sky steadily lighten.

Why indeed did things have to be so complicated when it came to Harry Potter.

* * *

The morning was a busy affair in the burrow. Tents were being set up outside, people were shouting all over the place, people were coming in from everywhere.

Fleur barely even noticed her old friends who were fawning over how beautiful she looked in the wedding dress. Time was becoming a blur to her, so were the people.

When her mother came to her just moments before she was led outside, their eyes met. She could see the sadness in her eyes reflected back at her. But time was up, with a sigh she straightened up, holding her head up high.

Outside she took her father's hand as the melody started playing and the crowd that was seated in front of them stood up respectfully. In front of them at the middle was Bill, a handsome smile on his face.

"'_Oo is eet zat I 'ave ze pleasure of meeting wiz?" _

"_Harry…Harry Potter." _

She could feel the stares of everyone around her. Her eyes were blurring.

"_Fleur…is it, I mean…do you think you would go to the ball with me?" _

"_Well…yes?"_

"_Erm…would you?"_

"_I would, but you're asking me on a what-if basis non?" The rules forbade champions from going with each other._

"_Yeah."_

"_Of course I would 'Arry." The smile she got from him was the best one to date._

Bill's smile faltered a little at the look on her face.

_They were both outside having gotten away from their respective dates. _

"_I wish we could 'ave gone togezzer." _

"_Me too." He smiled at her. "But this is still nice." _

"_Yes…yes eet is." She murmured, turning to look at him. They were both sitting under a tree in a secluded area by the lake. His bright green eyes were making her heart leap. _

_Before she knew it, she was leaning towards him as his eyes widened in surprise. Then their lips touched and everything apart from them ceased to matter. _

Her father gently let go of her hand as Bill moved to stand beside her. The priest in front of them started speaking, but she could hear nothing.

"_I'll never be with you. Why would I want to be bonded for life to a Veela? I'm sorry but I just don't feel that way about you." She felt as if he'd ripped her heart out of her chest. He wasn't the same man she'd come to love. It was like she didn't even know him. _

"'_Arry…"_

"_It's over Fleur." Without another word he walked out, leaving her stunned in the middle of the room as her mind was beginning to understand what had just happened. _

She was suddenly aware of the silence around her. She looked up to find Kingsley, the new Minister for Magic who'd volunteered to marry them and Bill looking at her curiously.

"Fleur?" Bill asked softly.

"I-I'm sorry…I was distracted. Continue."

Kingsley gave her a small nod before turning to Bill. "Do you take Fleur Isabelle Delacour to be your lawfully wedded wife?" A tendril of light stretched from his wand and wrapped around Bill's hand.

"I do." He said with a smile.

"And do you take William Arthur Weasley to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

She had made her choice. She could feel the gazes of everyone on her and for a moment she turned back, her eyes meeting her mother's briefly.

"I-…" She faltered, her voice not coming out right. "I cannot." A heavy silence fell, it felt as if everyone had stopped breathing. As if in slow motion she watched the chaos unfold as everyone got to their feet.

The tendrils of light that were connecting Bill's hand to Kingsley's wand suddenly moved, disappearing from Bill's hands and instead wrapping around her own before she felt as if something was getting sucked out of her.

And then she knew nothing more.

* * *

*1 Month later*

She was standing outside the place. It was a relatively small house but it looked cozy. It was no different from the rest of the houses in the neighborhood.

It had taken her quite some time to find it in this maze of streets. She'd never truly appreciated Apparition before; having to walk all the way to a bus stop, riding in one, getting off…it was all going to take time getting used to.

Taking a deep breath she walked up to the front door, hesitantly pressing the small button on the wall beside her.

A few minutes passed and just when she was beginning to think he wasn't there, the door opened.

"Can I help y-…" His eyes met hers and for a brief moment she had trouble recognizing him.

His eyes, they had changed so drastically. They were no longer the same bright green she'd always remembered. They were instead a pale shade of what they had been. His face gaunt, his messy hair had grown out quite a bit. The scar, the lightning bolt shaped scar was gone, it was like it had never been there. She felt like she wanted to cry out at the sight of him. He looked nothing like the man she'd once known.

He didn't quite seem to be able to speak at the moment.

"'Ello 'Arry." She said quietly.

"Fleur…Hey…" He said weakly. He seemed to be trying to smile but all that was coming was a pained grimace. "I wasn't expecting…I mean…" She couldn't help the small smile that flickered across her lips at his stammering. There was still some of his old self in him.

"Can I come in?"

"Come…oh, sure." He opened stood aside allowing her to enter before taking her coat.

The inside was not that different from her own room back at her apartment in France. The living room and kitchen was separated by just one wall with a counter and there was a small staircase at the side leading upstairs.

The living room was simple with a medium sized TV at the corner. As she took a seat on the small couch she caught sight of a framed photograph on the coffee table in front of her.

It was a picture of him, Hermione and a rather handsome blonde haired young man. She also noticed that this picture was the only one in the room.

A quiet thud announced that Harry was back. He was carefully holding a tray filled with a plate of biscuits and a teapot along with two cups. She quickly stood up and helped him set it on the table, taking note of the way his hands shook when their hands brushed each other.

"Sorry…I don't really have much. Wasn't really expecting visitors to show up anytime." He murmured softly.

"'Eet's alright…" A few moments of silence fell. "Where's 'Ermione? I zought she was living wiz you?"

"Oh…she's taking a small vacation. From me." He added with a small smile at her questioning look. "Both she and her fiancé have been spending more time worrying about me than they should be about themselves."

"I imagine you 'ad a 'ard time convincing 'er." His grin grew slightly wider.

"You don't know half of it." She pointed at the picture.

"'Oo is zat? Ze man wiz you two?"

"That…well that is Draco Malfoy." She almost choked on her tea.

"No way." He nodded, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"It is. Draco…It was a bit hard to believe at first but he turned out to be one of the best people I'd ever known."

"'Ow in ze world did eet come down to zat?" She knew just how much Harry detested Malfoy back in the day.

Harry chuckled softly as he leaned back on his chair. "He helped us escape when me and Hermione got into a spot of trouble when we were captured. He was forced to flee with us after that though."

"And you two became friends just like zat?"

"Hm…it was a bit slow at first, but I found out that we were both really similar when it comes down to it. In fact, the first time Hermione came back from her date with him I think she said he was the 'blonde haired version' of me."

And thus the time passed for a while as they talked aimlessly. She still couldn't muster the courage to bring up the reason for her visit. In fact, she had no idea how to approach it at all, even if she did.

She was struck by how easy it was to talk to him, even after everything that happened between them. She thought it would've been incredibly awkward, but it wasn't. While she was sad that there was an odd sense of formality between them that had never been there, even back when they'd first met, she was glad that they could at least talk to each other properly.

But someone had to give. And it seemed that it was Harry.

"How's Bill doing? And also I forgot to congratulate you two on your wedding so I apologize for that." His voice was neutral but she could detect a faint hint of bitterness in it.

She bit her lip, silently debating with herself how best she should approach this. Something must have shown on her face because he suddenly asked "Fleur? Is everything okay?" In a concerned voice.

This snapped something within her. "How can you calmly ask if everything's _okay_?" He looked bewildered and for a second she thought she saw a hint of fear in his eyes.

"I-"

"Non 'Arry…everyzing's not okay." A look of worry appeared on his face.

"Why? What happened? Is it Bill? Is he-"

"I'm not married." For a moment he looked as if someone had hit him hard over the head.

"You're not?" He asked quietly. "But I thought…"

"I refused 'im." She said softly. "I declined ze marriage."

He didn't speak for a few moments. "Why?" He asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Why?" She repeated. "Let me ask you somezing…why did you lie to me zat day? Why couldn't you just tell me what was really 'appening? If you can answer zat, zen you will know why I refused to marry a man 'oo I never 'ad feelings for." Silence reigned for a few moments as she watched him.

She could see the hope dawning on his face as he worked out what she meant. For a moment she could've sworn she saw his eyes brighten and he looked like the same boy she'd met four years ago.

"How did you find out?" He asked quietly, avoiding her eyes.

"'Ermione." A look of utter shock appeared in his face and she couldn't help but giggle at his expression. At that moment the heavy atmosphere seemed to lift as he in turn chuckled, his smile staying this time. "She told me everyzing." She murmured, remembering her conversation with her. Suddenly one particular instance of their conversation surfaced as she quickly got up and walked over to him. Without giving him a chance to speak she grasped his arm firmly and rolled back the sleeve to reveal the underside of his arm.

Barely a few seconds passed before a resounding slap echoed in the otherwise quiet room. He didn't dare speak, let alone look up at her face as she was standing there in front of him, her eyes on his mutilated arm.

"Why did you give up so easily 'Arry…" She finally whispered, kneeling before him. "I zought we were going to get past everyzing togezzer. Wasn't zat what you promised me back zen?"

"I also promised that I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He muttered in a low voice. "I'm not worth dying for Fleur…I didn't want that for you. That's why I…" His voice shook before he seemed to regain composure. "That's why I pushed you away. I couldn't tell you why because I knew that you wouldn't have let me go…so I tried to make you hate me." He finally looked up at her, tears falling down his face. "I'm so sorry...I never imagined how my words would have made you feel. I just…to me, death was better than having to keep remembering what I did to you."

She slowly wrapped her arms around him, placing his head on her shoulder as he gasped at the contact. She felt her heart lighten when he didn't try to move away, instead returning the embrace. She'd never realized how long she'd yearned to hold him since that night, how long she'd waited to have his arms around her again.

When he'd calmed down somewhat she reluctantly allowed him to pull away. He honestly looked his age now, if not a bit unkempt. It looked as if a huge weight he'd been carrying had lifted off him. His eyes no longer held the impenetrable sadness she'd seen when she'd first seen them.

"Something about you has changed." He said quietly. She smiled softly at him.

"What? Am I not as beautiful as you remembered?" She was delighted when she saw the faintest hint of a blush appear on his face. Something simply never changed.

"No…I mean…you, there's no other words to describe you. I mean…" The happiness she was feeling right now, there was no way she could put it into words. It felt like she'd gone back in time and was falling in love with him all over again.

"Well…I'm not a witch anymore 'Arry." His smile disappeared.

"What?"

"My magic…eet's gone. I can no longer use eet."

"How? What happened?"

"Ze wedding…I mean my marriage to Weasley was under a magical contract." He froze. "A contract which I signed. So…when I declined zat day at ze altar…"

"You lost your magic." He whispered. "No…Fleur…Why would you do something like that."

"Because eet was my choice to make."

"But…"

"I gave up my magic to be wiz you 'Arry." She said softly. "We all 'ave to make sacrifices. You would 'ave given up your life for me…you _did _give up your life me. You sacrificed your 'appiness for me. Ze price I paid is trivial. I only gave up ze part of me zat connected me to ze magical world, not my 'eritage. I just need to know zat you will be staying zis time…because 'onestly, I don't zink I could face somezing like zat again."

"Only if you think I'm worthy for you." He said quietly. "Because I'm not…I can never be after what I did to you."

"I can't zink of anyone I would razzer be with." She whispered, planting a soft kiss on his cheek making his eyes close. "My feelings for you never changed. I will always love you 'Arry Potter." She gently pressed her lips against his and just like that first time, she felt as though someone had lit fireworks in her head.

When she drew away she felt her lips stretch into the first true smile in years. His eyes were brighter than ever, sparkling as if with a light of their own. The familiar lopsided smile she'd come to adore about him was evident on his face.

"And you will always be my fleur argenté." She felt his hand gently caress her cheek before he claimed her lips with his own to which she responded by wrapping her arms firmly around his neck, returning the kiss for all she was worth.

"Make me yours Fleur." He gasped, breaking the kiss momentarily. "Make me yours and don't let me forget who I belong to."

And she did just that as the two made up for the time they'd lost. One thing was for certain, this time, she was _not _going to let him go.

* * *

"Well…" Hermione began her eyes on Harry who was fast asleep with his arms around a silvery white haired woman under the covers. The room was a mess; clothes were strewn untidily around it.

"…It doesn't look like he'll need us to take care of him anymore does it?" Draco finished for her, catching her eye and grinning widely.

_**Fin**_

* * *

**AN: This was different for me for a few major reasons. I actually managed to shelve my loathing for Hermione. It's just that I had no choice…It would have been too much work creating a new character from scratch to fill her role as the extremely overprotective sister. The Malfoy bit...I just thought 'Why the hell not? I'm already doing something weird here.'**

**Angsty too, but I did give a happy ending. Real life's full of sad endings, there's no point reminding ourselves of that over here. **

**This oneshot was just something that popped in my mind randomly and I just sort of happened to have time on my hands to make the idea into a reality. I always did want to try writing one where Fleur rejects Bill at the wedding kinda thing. **

**I know I keep saying one thing then doing the other. Skyrim crossover is in the works, the next chapter of 'His Angel' is halfway through too. I can tentatively say both of those should be coming out sometime within this month or early next. **

**Till next time then. **


End file.
